Sharon Gotch Cobb, 76, of East Orleans, died suddenly on November 7, 2019 at Cape Cod Hospital. Born in Streator, IL to Hulda (Greenberg) and Frank Gotch. She will be truly missed by her loving husband of 45 years, Peter H. Cobb. After graduating from Streator High School in Illinois, Sharon attended the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, earning herself a Master’s Degree in Education, finding her place ...

If police officers in Chatham, Harwich and Orleans are looking a bit scruffy this month, it's not because the departments have relaxed their regulations. Members of all three departments, and many others on the Cape, are letting their facial hair grow during “No Shave November” to raise money for charity. More than 120 police departments across the state are participating in the program to benefit Home Base, w...

CHATHAM – The town's representative on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates has filed a resolution accusing County Commission Ronald Beaty of violating the county's code of conduct. Randi Potash said Facebook and Twitter posts by Beaty that were critical of the assembly were counter to a section of the code that calls for elected and appointed county officials to avoid using social media to address pend...

CHATHAM — With shoaling at the entrance to Stage Harbor now at a critical level, the federal government is sending in the cavalry, or more precisely, the Army Corps of Engineers. The hopper dredge Currituck is expected to begin work around the second week in December. “Conditions have deteriorated substantially over the last few months, and from what I gather, even more so in the last few weeks after the serie...

CHATHAM – In the mid 1980s, it was clear that the town's drinking water system needed to be expanded, but the private company that owned it lacked the resources to undertake such a project. In 1985 the town purchased the system, but to oversee the ambitious goal of extended municipal water to most of the town, the right person needed to be found. It wasn't easy, but selectmen persuaded long-time finance commit...

CHATHAM — Despite worries about excluding voters who leave town for the winter, selectmen have called a Jan. 13 special town meeting to consider buying land for a new senior center. The warrant, which will be finalized shortly, will include a request for around $200,000 for additional design work, and an article for the purchase of the property 1610 Main St., using $750,000 to be funded by free cash. Because t...

CHATHAM — During a recent coastal storm, Chatham fire officials stopped in the Little Beach neighborhood to monitor the rising water at high tide. A bystander asked what they were doing, and when they explained, the man looked puzzled; he had just bought a home nearby. “It was a steal,” he said, pointing out the property with a smile. But do the flood waters ever reach his place? With a little discomfort, Chie...

Supporters Back Cakounes For Job HARWICH — Selectmen on Monday night appointed assistant town administrator Joseph Powers to serve as temporary town administrator for a period not to exceed 90 days. Powers will replace Town Administrator Christopher Clark, who is on a long-term leave of absence and will not seek reappointment when his contract expires on June 30. Under the Harwich Home Rule Charter, selectm...

'Weather Nerd' Phil Burt Explains HARWICH – Tornado!? That single word, complete with the astonished punctuation, was the first image in a PowerPoint talk on Nov. 14 at Brooks Free Library about the unusual event that pounded Harwich, Chatham, and some of the Upper and Mid Cape on July 23. The speaker was Phil Burt, a self-proclaimed “weather nerd” who has a master’s degree in meteorology. “I’ve been add...

HARWICH — In the next few years, voters will be asked to fund a number of big-ticket capital projects, but the funding requests from the fire department will be a bit lower than originally expected. Facing the need for a new ladder truck and a new pumper, the department will instead seek to buy a "quint," which can perform both functions at a fire scene. The move could save taxpayers around $900,000 over the cost...

HARWICH — The town has begun what will be a series of informational sessions between now and the spring town meeting to educate residents about changes being made to the comprehensive wastewater management plan. There is the potential for major changes to the plan. Gov. Charlie Baker signed special legislation for the DHY Clean Waters Partnership, allowing Dennis, Harwich and Yarmouth to work together and poss...

SOUTH HARWICH — Some high-profile seasonal visitors to town will enjoy new waterfront accommodations next spring, thanks to the Harwich Conservation Trust and AmeriCorps Cape Cod. Last Thursday, volunteers erected a new osprey nesting platform on conservation land in the salt marsh behind Red River Beach. Funded by a donor to the Trust, the platform was assembled in the beach parking lot, carried across the ma...

HARWICH — The Cape Cod Commission gave its unanimous approval to the selectmen’s request to establish the West Harwich District of Critical Planning Concern. The request will now be sent to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates for enactment as a county ordinance. If approved by the assembly, the town will have one year to adopt and incorporate implementing regulations in its official bylaws, regulations...

When Kathy Andrews was growing up in Chatham, she longed to play baseball like her older brothers, but back then girls weren't allowed to play. Fast forward a few years and Andrews is celebrating her recent induction into the New Agenda Northeast Hall of Fame. Andrews, a longtime coach and physical education teacher at Monomoy Regional Middle School, was nominated by Mary McGrath Dowling and Cheryl Poore, some...

SANDWICH/MILFORD – It is said that all good things must come to an end, but in the case of the Nauset Warriors 2019 boys varsity soccer team, that end came too soon and once again via penalty kicks that led to a Milford win in the Div. 2 South Sectional Finals on Nov. 17. It was a one-goal game until the final minutes of regulation play, and then, courtesy of a free kick and one well-placed shot on goal, it wa...

These days of craziness in the world are leaving me sad, worried and just plain upset. Everyone’s talking but no one’s listening. We might as well be a big old flock of bickering grackles swaggering about in the backyard looking for the best treats and tidbits while pooping wherever we want, when we want, with no regard to anyone or anything else. We’re making a racket and making a mess and we don’t care. Som...